Yes, I received a free copy of this book in hopes I would like it and review it. I neither like nor review every free book I receive.

In Part III of this series, we learn a bit more about the book Return of the Vinetropes, by Sherry L. Ross. As mentioned in Part I, the launch of the Time for Books series, and Part II - Lucinda, the vinetropes are fairy-like creatures that have returned to Earth after being gone a very long time! The "return to Earth" explanation doesn't mean they're from outer space. This is not a space fantasy. Rather, they have been frozen, here on Earth, for eons and eons. How they return is part of the mystery and not being shared here. Pick up your copy of the book to learn more.

In today's video book review, I read aloud for a minute to share both the contents of the back cover blurb, and one of my favorite characters, Owletta.

I'm pretty much a sucker for any fantasy that has talking animals, and I'm happy to say this particular book, though aimed at middle school children, satisfied me from the moment the squirrels opened their mouth to talk. When I was introduced to Owletta, I think I swooned. No doubt author Sherry L. Ross did some research on owls and how they behave. This bird came to life immediately and her subsequent role in the story was entirely believable!

I did not get to the evil characters yet. The "vinkali" will come next time.

Here's what Sherry shared with me, via email, about the bad guys: "My bad guys are sentient fungi and I am actually doing quite a bit of research on fungi to add some creative twists to these unusual characters as well as a resolution to their evilness. "

I admit, it's hard to think of the characters as ... plants, but this is a fantasy and all disbelief is suspended very early on. Taking the time to enjoy this book, and perhaps read it out loud, can both lower blood pressure and raise it a bit, too! The excitement and breath-holding worry in some scenes, is real! No doubt, the children you read it to will want you to read it every day, until the end. And THEN, the good news is, Sherry is working on the next book...I'll find out when it's due to be released.

Enjoy the video Time for Books below, with Yvonne, at Lipsticking.com. The next episode will conclude the series on The Return of the Vinetropes. Come on back and bring all your friends!